MANILA — The House committee on appropriations abruptly ended scrutiny of the Office of the President’s proposed P10.156-billion budget for 2027 in under an hour, invoking parliamentary courtesy despite objections from minority lawmakers demanding greater transparency over presidential spending.
The committee voted 37-5 to dispense with further questioning after Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan moved to extend parliamentary courtesy to the Office of the President. Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez seconded the motion.
The move effectively cut short deliberations on a proposed presidential budget that Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said was 64 percent lower than the Office of the President’s allocation for 2026.
Recto said the sharp reduction resulted from lower operating requirements and the completion of expenses associated with the Philippines’ hosting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) activities.
“The substantial reduction reflects the lower operational requirements of our units and completion of our activities related to the hosting of the Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] meeting for which no additional funding will be required next year,” Recto said.
Despite seeking a smaller allocation, Recto assured lawmakers that the P10.156-billion proposal would be sufficient for the presidency to carry out its responsibilities amid domestic and international challenges.
“In short, we’re asking for less while we’re fully prepared to do more. We believe that this amount is sufficient for the presidency to meet the demands in leading the nation at the time of overlapping domestic and external challenges from geopolitical tensions and disruptions in the Middle East, typhoons, El Niño, and other calamities,” Recto added.
Rep. Antonio Tinio opposed Libanan’s motion, arguing that budget hearings are intended to give Congress an opportunity to thoroughly examine how public funds would be spent.
Tinio also called for an end to the practice of extending parliamentary courtesy during budget deliberations, stressing the need for greater transparency and accountability in government spending.
Five minority lawmakers — Renee Co, Elijah Fernando, Sarah Elago, Iris Montes and Tinio — voted against terminating the questioning and later explained their objections.
They maintained that the proposed budget of the country’s highest executive office should not be shielded from congressional scrutiny merely on the basis of parliamentary courtesy.
Committee senior vice chairperson Albert Garcia subsequently closed the hearing, saying questions that were not addressed during the abbreviated deliberations could still be raised before or during plenary discussions.
The proposed P10.156-billion Office of the President budget will undergo the succeeding stages of the congressional budget process./PN
